The present invention relates to solenoid operated hydraulic valves which are mounted as part of a load bearing assembly such as a damper rod employed in a motor vehicle suspension system. Solenoid operated hydraulic valves employed for such applications are subjected to cyclic tensile and compressive loads on the structural components thereof which are often aligned in sequence along the central axis of the solenoid armature for achieving efficiency and economy in manufacturing and assembly.
As a load bearing member in a suspension system, the valve must meet certain dimensional requirements in addition to having a load bearing capability; and, heretofore has resulted in an assembly of components by weldment and threaded connections which has been found to be prohibitively expensive for high volume mass production of motor vehicle components particularly for passenger car and light truck applications. Furthermore, severe limitations in allowable dimensional variations have often required post assembly machining operations which have added to the manufacturing costs.
A known valve assembly is shown in FIG. 4 with a first load bearing end member 1 threadingly engaging a second annular body member 2 with a flux collector ring member 3 attached to a shoulder or body member 2. Load bearing member 1 has internal threads 1A formed in the upper end thereof for attachment to a load applying member. The lower end of body member 2 is provided with an inlet port 6. The moveable armature/valve member 4 and pole piece 5 and a ported sleeve member 7 are disposed between members 1 and 2 prior to threaded assembly thereof. The assembly of FIG. 4 is thus relatively complex by virtue of the plurality of parts and their joining and is relatively costly to fabricate and assemble in mass production.
Thus, it has been desired to provide a solenoid operated hydraulic valve assembly which is intended to function as a load bearing member in an assembly and to provide such a device which is easy to assemble and install and is relatively low in manufacturing costs.
The present invention provides a solenoid operated hydraulic valve intended for use as a structural load bearing member in an assembly and has a load bearing surface on oppositely disposed ends thereof with an inlet port aligned with the load bearing surfaces on a one piece valve body having a side port formed therein which communicates with the inlet port. An annular flux collector is disposed on the body and a sleeve having magnetically permeable material is disposed over the side port and movable on the body for opening and closing the side port. An annular pole piece is disposed on the body remotely from the flux collector and a coil of electrically conductive material is disposed about the sleeve which is moved upon energization of the coil.
In the preferred embodiment, the load bearing surfaces and the inlet port are coaxially aligned and an outlet port communicating with the side port is provided and is disposed to discharge in a direction generally parallel to the inlet port. The present invention thus provides a unique and novel load bearing solenoid operated hydraulic valve assembly which has a one piece body with an inlet port formed therein for insertion as a load bearing member in a fluid operated system.